CEC'S MISSION:
To provide and facilitate access to biblical training, empowering and equipping servant-leaders to proclaim the Gospel with an emphasis on discipleship for the edification of the Church of Christ.
One of our central focusses in the school is to provide access to biblical training specifically for those who for various reasons have not had the opportunity for further biblical preparation. Time and time again I am blown away at the passion that many have in Mexico to serve God with all of their hearts, giving freely of their lives to serve the people in their communities; though, as seems to be the case everywhere, there is always a need for more people, there are so many who are serving God wholeheartedly. If there is a greater need, it is to provide an opportunity to be further grounded in the Word so that they can be even more effective in their ministry. This was the vision for and the mission of CEC right from the beginning.
This mission is what leads us to places like the small town we visited last week in the centrally located state of Michoacan. Missionaries have been working with the local indigenous people for a number of years, establishing churches in the area, and we were able to see some of the fruits of those labours, also hearing stories about the hardships they have had to endure working in very closed environments. In a town such as the one we visited, sharing the Gospel has come up against some very strong barriers because the habitants of the town jealously guard their own culture, even to the extent of not allowing outside people to move in and live there simply because they had not grown up there. But through perseverance, and by God's grace, a church has been established in this town. We got the chance to meet with the young man, Isidro, who comes from the town and has stepped up to the role of pastoring this young church. Our hosts, Pete and Cathy, missionaries who are doing a wonderful job at helping the work in this area, shared their burden of seeing this young man and his wife go to CEC to help further their ministry in this little town.
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| Pastor Isidro (in the middle) together with his family |
Our goal in CEC is to reach specifically people such as Pastor Isidro and others like him who are serving God and haven't had the opportunity for any biblical training whether the reasons be for funding (many Bible schools in Mexico are quite expensive) or for reasons of time (many programs running anywhere from 2 to 4 years). The economic situation in this small communities is often tough and the commitment even to get away for the 14-week program we offer is a significant amount of time. So we continue to pray for people like this family as we go out on the road making new connections like these. Our goal in the future is also to do some on-the-road training so that we can be of further encouragement, especially in these more remote areas. It's neither mission impossible nor mission accomplished but one in which we constantly see God moving and are excited to see how He will continue to do so.
Please keep praying for potential students! We know that the investment that they make in getting away for those 14 weeks is always worth it. Also, if you are interested in helping to support the school (which in turn helps keep the costs stay minimal for those who enrol), please let me know - I'd be glad to share more about those ongoing needs. Thanks for your continued prayers! In this "off-season" we continue to visit, promote, and plan, preparing for this coming school season. ¡Dios les bendiga!
